Bowdoin College Homepage
Bowdoin College Museum of Art Logo and Wordmark

Advanced Search
Preview image of work. solid cast bronze,  Geometric Statuette of a Horse 1907
IIIF Logo
1927.14

Recommend keywords

Help us make our collections more accessible by providing keywords to describe this artwork. The BCMA uses the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus to provide consistent keywords. Enter a keyword in the field below and you will be prompted with a list of possible matching AAT preferred terms.

 
 

Geometric Statuette of a Horse

Export record as: Plain text | JSON | CDWA-Lite | VRA Core 4

Artist

Artist Unidentified (Greek)

Title

Geometric Statuette of a Horse

Creation Date

ca. 799 BCE - 700 BCE

Century

8th century BCE

Dimensions

3 15/16 in. x 1 1/4 in. (10 cm. x 3.1 cm.)

Classification

Sculpture

Creation Place

Europe, Greece

Medium and Support

solid cast bronze

Credit Line

Gift of Edward Perry Warren, Esq., Honorary Degree, 1926

Copyright

Public Domain

Accession Number

1927.14

From religion and myth to combat, sport, and transportation, the horse figured prominently in ancient Mediterranean culture and art. Horses were among the earliest subjects explored by Greek artists and remained the most commonly depicted animal in vase painting and sculpture. Artists admired them as symbols of wealth, power, and prestige, but also understood their role as treasured companions of humans, heroes, and the gods. Representations of horses created during the Geometric period of the eighth century BCE document the connection between painting and sculpture. Early sculptures of horses, in profile, mimic closely the painted silhouettes of the animals as if the artist had pulled the form into a three-dimensional shape. In the ensuing centuries, as seen in the examples displayed here, more natural-looking forms were developed and the figure of the horse was appreciated from all sides.

Additional Media

Additional Image left side
left side
Additional Image back
back
Additional Image front
front